Chick Fight
by Cynamin
Summary: Roommates From Hell #4 - Well, you knew Chloe couldn’t keep her calling a secret for long, especially once Angel found out.


Chick Fight by Cynamin _**Series**: Roommates From Hell #4. This series can be found at http://www.ficgoddess.com/fanfic/cynamin/RfH.html_   
_**Couples**: Spike/Layla, more Chloe/Angel development, but still not quite there._   
_**Summary**: Well, you knew Chloe couldn't keep her calling a secret for long, especially once Angel found out._   
_**Spoilers**: Absolutely none._   
_**Disclaimer**: I own Chloe. Stacey owns Layla (as much as anyone can 'own' that girl...). Joss Whedon owns Spike and Angel. We're just borrowing them to...well, you can use your imagination._   
_**Author's Note**: If anyone is actually reading this...yay! We are at last getting past the development stage and into the part of the story that is actually where the whole thing came from... In other words, Chloe and Layla fun. Enjoy!_   
_**Feedback**: Oh please oh please!_   


* * *

_Lesson #4: Why natural enemies shouldn't live together._   


* * *

Barely glimpsed in mirrors that usually reflected ballet dancers and aerobics classes, a college age red-head seemed to be fighting an invisible opponent. She wore a loose t-shirt and biker shorts, and was quick on her feet as she parried invisible blows. She was sweating, and breathing hard. She could have been simply working herself out, were it not for the occasional sounds of flesh impacting on flesh. 

If one came the rest of the way into the room to where both fighters could actually be seen, they would have found her opponent far more composed. He wore black pants and a white tank top and was barely sweating. He did not breath hard. In fact, at times he did not seem to breathe at all. Both of them were barefoot, and neither seemed to be giving an inch when it came to facing the other. 

"That's enough," he said abruptly, stepping back and out of the fight. Chloe leaned forward in temporary exhaustion, catching her breath. 

Angel handed her a towel and her water bottle. "Thanks," Chloe managed after taking a long gulp. 

Angel nodded. "You're doing well for someone so new at this." 

"I'm not new at this," Chloe managed. "I've been taking martial arts for three years." 

"You're new at being the Slayer," he pointed out. 

"So?" 

"You're not used to having vampires as opponents." 

"True," Chloe conceded. "And you look like you could go for hours yet." 

"It helps not to have to breathe." 

Chloe grinned. "Was that a joke?" 

Angel shrugged. "Maybe." 

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle. She gathered up her belongings, preparing to leave the gym, all the while discreetly watching her sparring partner...her friend? She wasn't sure where they stood. She was sure she would have done better, however, had she not been so enjoying the sight of his muscles under his tight shirt as they fought. _Don't go there. Vampire, remember?_

Putting on her watch, Chloe cringed as she glanced at the time. "Damn it, I have to meet Victoria." 

"Victoria?" 

"My Watcher," Chloe explained. "Black hair, tight bun, permanent bug up her...you get the idea." 

"Mmm," Angel said noncommittally. 

"Listen," Chloe said after a moment. She took another gulp from her water bottle. "Meet you at ten at Fairfax Memorial Park? My Watcher supervised patrol should be over by then, and you promised me you'd give me some additional pointers." 

"Isn't your Watcher supposed to do that?" 

Chloe grimaced. "I trust you to do it more," she said. "Besides, you promised." 

"I did," Angel agreed. 

"So you'll be there?" 

"Yes." 

Chloe grinned. 

"Don't exhaust yourself," Angel reminded her suddenly. 

That just made Chloe smile harder. "I recover fast," was all she said as she left the vampire alone in the private workout room.   


* * *

"Going hunting?" 

Angel did not look at the two vampires reclining on the couch as he slipped a stake into his pocket. Neither did he answer. 

"I'd think it was pretty obvious," Layla replied in his stead. "The real question is, hunting what? No, wait, the stake makes that pretty obvious, too." 

Angel glanced at the female vampire, to see her and Spike frowning at him. 

"It's disgusting, you know?" Spike said almost casually. "Hunting your own kind." 

"Spike..." Angel began. 

Spike frowned and waved off his protests. "Yeah, I know. 'Never gonna change' and 'Not your own kind' and all that bullox." 

Angel nodded. "Just as long as we know where we stand," he said, heading for the door. 

"No, I don't think we know. Where do 'we' stand?" Spike asked. 

Angel didn't respond. He just glanced at Spike and Layla impassively, then headed out. 

It was silent for a moment in the apartment. "I guess we'll discuss this later then," Spike muttered sarcastically. 

Layla frowned. "I don't like this," she said. 

"What a surprise," Spike teased. "I thought it was such a _thrill_ to live with him." 

"You _were_ the one that let him stay here in the first place," she pointed out. 

"Now, Love..." 

"Don't you 'Love' me," Layla interrupted. "Besides, I wasn't talking about that. There's something else going on with him. And have you ever noticed that every time he's out hunting, Chloe is nowhere to be seen, either?" 

Spike wrapped one arm casually around her. "You're being paranoid," he said. "She has classes. She _is_ a student, after all." 

"Classes? Then how come her schedule suddenly shifted two weeks ago to include a lot of night sessions? Don't think I didn't notice." 

Spike looked at her for a moment. "It did?" 

"Yeah," she said. "So don't tell me she has classes. There's something going on, and those two are in on it together."   


* * *

Chloe was exhausted, pretty much as Angel had expected. He didn't know what the young Slayer had faced in the company of her Watcher, but together with Angel they had killed two vampires and one demon. The vampires weren't really a problem – they were young enough that Chloe handled them completely on her own with Angel only standing back in case he was needed. 

The demon was a completely different story. Standing taller than either of them, it had taken the two of them together to defeat it. The creature had been ferocious, strong, and smelled terrible. It wasn't anything Angel had seen before, so it was luck that they'd been able to kill it. It had nearly been a pincushion from various stake wounds before one of them – and they had no clue which – had managed to get in a fatal strike. It had a particularly spectacular demise. 

Blue goo everywhere. 

So, on top of being exhausted, Chloe was also drenched from head to toe in slime. She took it in good spirit, though. Actually, she seemed to find it more amusing than anything else. 

That probably had something to do with the fact that Angel had been hit by even more of the slime than she had. 

Angel ran a hand over his scalp, trying to do something with his hair, but only ended up with a handful of blue goo as a result. He shook it off his hand, making a disgusted face. 

Chloe giggled. 

"What?" 

"It's a good look for you," she teased. "You should keep it. Maybe we'll start a trend." 

Angel smirked. "No thanks." 

Chloe nodded vehemently. "I know what you mean," she said. "Dibs on first shower." 

Angel just shrugged, pulling out his key to unlock the apartment door. 

The door opened before he could touch it. On the other side, Layla looked at them and shook her head. "No way. There is no way you are coming in here like _that_." 

Spike came around the doorway at her commotion to see what had her carrying on so. One look at the human and souled-vampire in the doorway and he burst out laughing. 

Angel just sighed, trying to step in further. 

"No!" Layla snapped. "You are not tracking slime all over the carpet!" 

"Could you bring us a towel then or something?" Chloe suggested. "I'm not standing out here all night." 

"Why not?" Layla asked, grinning. 

"Layla..." 

"Oh, fine," she muttered, turning away from the door. 

Once the way was no longer blocked, Angel and Chloe stepped into the apartment, going no further than a mat that had been placed just inside the door. Closing the door behind them so as to no longer draw attention from their neighbors, Angel began to remove his shoes. All the while, Spike was watching them both from the comfort of the couch. He was grinning from ear to ear. 

"What the hell happened to you two?" he asked at last. 

Chloe was unzipping her winter coat. "Oh, we thought it would be fun to go swimming in slime," she said sarcastically. 

Spike laughed. "No, really kid," he said at last. 

"What does it look like?" Angel muttered. 

"It looks like you had a run-in with a demon. Both of you," Spike said. "But there aren't a lot of demons around here unless you're looking for them." 

Spike didn't have time to finish his pointed comment, nor did Chloe or Angel have time to respond, because at that moment Layla returned with the towels... 

Just as Chloe's stake fell out of her inside coat pocket. 

Silence fell over the apartment. 

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered. 

Chloe's eyes went wide. "Uh..." 

"I _knew_ it!" Layla cried. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

"You said I was just being paranoid," Layla yelled at Spike. "But _no_. You said 'let Angel find the roommate.' Excellent plan! Now we have a Slayer to deal with!" 

Spike looked at Chloe. "You the new Slayer, kid?" 

Chloe shot him a look. "Yeah." 

"Priceless." 

"This is all your fault," Layla declared, looking at Spike and Angel in turn. "Both of yours!" 

"How is this my fault?" Spike asked. 

"If you'd listened to me and gotten a _male_ roommate this never would have happened!" 

"I said I didn't care one way or another," Spike pointed out. "Calm down, love." 

"Fine," Layla agreed. "I'm not letting you off the hook though!" she said, turning to Angel. 

"I didn't know she was the Slayer when she came here," Angel said calmly. 

"I _wasn't_ the Slayer when I first came here!" Chloe pointed out. 

Layla ignored her. "I don't care. You still seem to attract Slayers like...well, I can't think of a word right now, but it's something very bad!" 

"Oooh, snappy comeback," Chloe muttered. 

"Shut up!" The female vampire was clearly upset, and getting angry. Any words from Chloe now would only make the situation worse. 

She didn't care much about that, though, or she just didn't notice. Chloe dropped her coat on the floor and stepped the rest of the way into the room, completely heedless of the slime now. She glared at the female vampire. "Why should I?" she snapped. "It's not like anything I say matters anyway. You'll still talk about me like I'm not here. Well guess what? Here I am!" 

"Chloe..." Angel said in calm warning. 

Layla smirked at her. "Feisty," she said. "I say we kill her now and save ourselves a lot of trouble later." 

"Now, love..." Spike tried. 

"You really think you can take me?" Chloe challenged. 

"Chloe!" 

Layla looked at Chloe disdainfully. "What _do_ you think you're suggesting? You're pathetic." 

"Anytime, anywhere," Chloe said strongly. 

"Girls..." 

"Please, both of you, not in the house..." 

Chloe blinked and took a deep breath. She glanced at Spike over Layla's shoulder. "You're right," she said, trying to calm herself. "We won't..." 

Layla's slap took her completely off guard. 

Chloe raised her hand to her injured cheek. It came away with blood, scratched by Layla's fingernail. Her eyes went wide and furious. 

"Bitch!" 

Layla growled at her. 

"Oh, now you've done it," Spike muttered in the background. 

His statement went unnoticed. Chloe went flying for Layla, both hands outstretched to grab the vampire's neck. The two of them went down in a heap, landing on and shattering the coffee table. 

"Hey!" 

Layla kicked the enraged Slayer off of her. "You can't strangle a vampire," she spat out. 

"No, but maybe I can get you to stop talking!" Chloe punched Layla hard in the jaw. 

Layla's face changed then, her eyes going golden in her fury. She kicked Chloe's legs out from under her, which led Chloe to tackle the still standing vampire around the knees. 

"This is better than cable!" 

"Shut up, Spike!" 

Any time either of the girls seemed to be getting back to their feet, the other would knock them down again. Neither was going for a kill – Chloe hadn't reached for any of the table fragments, and Layla's blows were all directed more at inflicting pain. 

Thus far. 

They stumbled about the apartment's living room, nearly rolling, mostly yelling unintelligibly. By the time the fight had degenerated into hair pulling and name calling, the spectators had enough. 

Chloe was on top for the moment, and Angel grabbed the thrashing Slayer around the waist. 

"Put me down!" she screamed. 

Layla took advantage of Chloe's momentary inability to fight to land a solid blow to her stomach. All the air whooshed out of Chloe's lungs, leaving her gasping. 

"Restrain her!" Angel yelled at Spike, trying to pull the combatants apart. 

Spike grabbed from Layla, dragging the enraged vampire across the room. "Stop it!" she screamed. "Let me kill her!" 

"Not unless I kill you first!" Chloe yelled back, trying to break free of Angel's grip. 

"ENOUGH!" the elder vampire yelled. 

Both women stilled...for the moment. 

"Spike," Angel nearly hissed. "Take her outside to blow off some steam. We'll clean up here." 

Spike nodded, dragging Layla towards the door. 

"We're not done here," Layla stated angrily, her face returning to human semblance. 

"Anytime," Chloe spat. 

The door slammed behind the two vampires. 

Slowly, Angel released his grip on the college-age Slayer. Adrenaline gone, she sat down on the floor..._hard_. 

Angel was silent for a moment. He grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen and came back to Chloe's side a moment later. He crouched next to her, and began to clean off her cheek with a damp paper towel. 

"That...wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done," he said at last. 

Chloe flinched and bit her lip. "I didn't mean for that to happen," she said. 

Angel just made a small sound as he wiped blood and slime away from the scratch on her cheek. 

"It's just... I hate her!" Chloe said angrily. 

"From the looks of that fight, I'd say the feeling's mutual," Angel pointed out. 

Chloe looked at Angel as he reached for a small bandage. She looked miserable, and much younger all of a sudden. "Is...do you think there is any way this is ever going to work?" 

"This?" Angel asked. 

"Me living here," Chloe said. "I know you didn't ask to have the Slayer for a roommate. And you know I didn't ask to _be_ the Slayer." 

"I know." He secured the bandage with a bit of tape. 

"It's just...I didn't want it to happen like this." 

Angel frowned. "Give it time," he said. "That's all you can do. Maybe if you hadn't been quite so willing to fight her..." He stood up slowly, shaking his head. "Now, didn't you want to shower to get the slime off?" 

Chloe nodded. She stood – gingerly, obviously a bit bruised in places. "Angel?" she asked after a moment. 

"Hmmm?" 

"I've been wondering, and it probably sounds really stupid...." 

"What is it?" Angel asked, a bit worried by her nervous tone. 

"Are...we friends?" 

Angel smiled. It had been a while since he'd had any new friends. "Sure, Chloe." 

The Slayer grinned. "Good. Then at least _someone_ in this apartment isn't going to kill me." 

Angel chuckled. "Go. Shower." 

"Yes, sir!" 

"And Chloe?" 

She turned around, halfway down the hall. "Yeah?" 

"You wanted critiques on your fighting style?" 

Chloe smiled. "Sure." 

Angel grinned at her. "Hair pulling...is pretty pathetic." 

Chloe laughed as she disappeared into her room. 


End file.
